ATHENS — Georgia famously didn’t bring in a transfer player in the offseason prior to the 2022 season. The Bulldogs went on to win the national championship, with Smart highlighting his transfer-free roster after the iconic Tennessee win.
But Smart also made it clear he was never averse to the transfer portal at large. The actions this offseason back that up.
After bringing in a total of six players via the transfer portal over the previous three offseasons, Georgia has already grabbed six in just this cycle alone.
UNLV quarterback Jayden Maiava became the latest addition, as he committed to Georgia shortly before Monday’s national championship game.
Maiava doesn’t fit the traditional mold of players Georgia has taken from the transfer portal. He wasn’t someone Georgia had a long-standing relationship with from the recruiting process nor did he come from an SEC program.
Landing Maiava doesn’t fill some critical need for the Bulldogs. If everything goes to plan, he won’t play a meaningful snap for Georgia in 2024. The plan is to roll with Carson Beck and get the most out of him moving forward.
It’s why the Bulldogs went out and grabbed Colbie Young and Michael Jackson from the transfer portal. Each player has just a single year of eligibility left. They’re coming to Georgia for the express purpose of playing with Beck next season.
“They definitely had those conversations talking about, hey, we’re going to go into the portal,” Beck said prior to the Orange Bowl. “We’re looking at a few guys. Obviously, they didn’t name names at that time because it’s not for me to know. But they did go out and you know, obviously get some of those guys and super excited to get to talking with those guys.”
Both players come from high-major programs and have the measurables and skillsets that should help Georgia in 2024. The Bulldogs though also brought in skill players with multiple years of eligibility remaining.
Running back Trevor Etienne was Georgia’s biggest portal splash. While it’s easy to envision Etienne being a one-and-done player for Georgia, he does have two seasons of eligibility in Athens. Etienne can step in the starting running back role, with Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards moving on to the NFL.
Etienne is one of three SEC transfers the Bulldogs brought in this offseason. While Smart showed more flexibility in terms of who he brought in from the transfer portal, the Georgia head coach still has a type. Wide receiver London Humphreys comes from Vanderbilt and has three seasons of eligibility remaining. Defensive lineman Xzavier McLeod, from South Carolina, has four seasons left.
Wide receiver and defensive line were two of Georgia’s biggest needs. The transfer portal helped the Bulldogs address those concerns. Both in the short term and the long term.
“What you do control is who you bring in here,” Smart said during the early signing period. “You don’t control what goes out. So our messaging has been all along, ‘Let’s get the right guys in here.’ This group we just signed, I’m a lot more worried about the retention, and when I look at last year’s class, I think it’s 2 or 3 out of last year’s class [that has entered the portal]. That would be more concerning for me.
“You know, the portal is a good thing. Let’s don’t make it a negative.”
The transfer portal isn’t a one-way street for Georgia. More often than not it is going to hurt the Bulldogs more than it helps. Georgia had 19 scholarship players leave the program via the transfer portal. Three of them spent just one season at Georgia in Yazeed Haynes, Joshua Miller and AJ Harris. Those are the types of players Georgia doesn’t want to lose.
The Bulldogs also signed 28 players in the 2024 signing class. Georgia still wants to build its program through high school recruiting. When you’re able to identify and develop talent as well as Georgia is, it makes sense to continue to make that the bedrock of your program.
College football is entering a new era. The 12-team College Football Playoff starts next season. Georgia’s schedule will be beefed up. It’s going to need to amass as much talent as possible if it is going to navigate the 2024 season successfully.
Smart recognizes that. It’s why he’s tweaked the way he is using the transfer portal. Smart was never anti-transfer portal in the way say Dabo Swinney is. He’s also not going to use how it Florida State’s Mike Norvell had to use it to build his 2023 team.
There’s a medium Georgia is attempting to find. This 2024 haul marks a new way of roster building for Smart. It’s not a stark departure from what the Bulldogs have done before but it’s noticeable enough.
Especially for a program that once brought in zero transfers in the offseason prior to it winning a national championship.
